Pallet Town in Equestria
by Pete the Rock
Summary: Sequel to Fluttershy story, Ash and his group arrive in Pallet Town where the ponies meet the town's residents. Then, Ash and his friends are invited to Canterlot where Princess Celestia wants to congratulate Ash by throwing a party in his name. How will they react as Ash and some of his friends and mother are ponies?
1. Home Welcoming

_Disclaimer: No ownership of Pokémon or My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic_

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_Summary: Sequel to Fluttershy story, Ash and his group arrive in Pallet Town where the ponies meet the town's residents. Then, Ash and his friends are invited to Canterlot where Princess Celestia wants to congratulate Ash by throwing a party in his name. How will they react as Ash and some of his friends and mother are ponies?  
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_**Pallet Town in Equestria**_

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_Chapter 1: Home Welcoming_

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A town over the hills. A quiet town where hardly any activity roamed. A sign at the limits read "PALLET TOWN, HOME OF ASH KETCHUM." A boy and a yellow mouse arrived at the sign. The raven-haired boy in a red baseball cap and blue sweat-tee, along with the yellow mouse with a tail the mighty Zeus would love to chuck as it resembled a lightning bolt, glanced back at the trail. Someone else was coming."We made it, guys!" he cheered.

("It's Pallet Town!") the mouse squeaked. Soon enough, four other young people entered the town limits. One was a raven-haired boy, younger than the first young man and wearing a green polo t-shirt. Three teenage girls were with the two boys. One was a pink-haired girl with her hair straight down one side of her face. She wore a yellow summer blouse and pink miniskirt. The second was also pink-haired, her hair fluffed like a cloud. She wore all pink: pink t-shirt, pink frilly skirt and pink street shoes. The last had purple hair all curled around. She donned a gorgeous white gown down to her knees and stylish white boots. She also wore a white horn around her neck.

"After that horrifying waterfall experience, I'm happy to see civilization," the purple-haired girl huffed a sigh of relief. "Well, human civilization, anyway." The boys understood the purple-haired girl's correction.

"It's okay, Rarity," the younger boy forgave. The pink-haired girls and the mouse laughed a little as the young boy turned to the bigger. "Ash, how will your mom react to the ponies by your home?" The older boy, Ash, wasn't concerned in the least. Still, they're teenage girls, not ponies.

"Don't worry, Max," he smiled. "They're friends of ours. Besides, shouldn't you be worried about May's reaction to you coming with me instead of Petalburg City?" Max flinched, wondering how May would take the response of not being with her.

"Hey, I'm interested in seeing Prof. Oak and learn first hand about the Pokémon he has there!" The fluffy pink-haired girl got in between the boys.

"Hey, hey, calm down!" she urged the two to simmer. "No reason to start fighting like this!" Doubt it was a fight.

"He's just teasing me, Pinkie Pie and I did deserve some," Max admitted. Pinkie Pie was more forgiving and even hugged little Max.

"I don't want to see you being teased, even if he's a friend." AW! The sight of Max getting some comfort from Pinkie Pie cooed the mouse, adored.

"He's already received plenty of attention from the ponies when he visited Ponyville," the other pink-haired girl backtracked. Ash could only wonder what reception these girls would get when they got to his home.

"I can only imagine the attention with the three of you," he thought. "Come on, let's go." The race was on. Entering town, the girls looked around, viewing all that Pallet Town had to offer.

"Well, the town isn't all that exciting," Rarity judged. "It's a simple little town, at least bigger than Ponyville. I don't understand why this town's rather popular." This sent Max into rant mode. Heck, he was going to defend the town's good name.

"Hello!" he shouted. "Pallet Town's the home of the great Prof. Oak! Not only is he a professor in town, he's one of the region professors who presents you with a starter Pokémon and he's a world renown poet." Rarity and the other pink-haired teen were intrigued with poetry.

"Poetry, you say? Well, my apologies for doubting who Prof. Oak was to this town." Max acknowledged Rarity's lapse. Ash peered behind him, spotting a white house which had a porch built under the roof.

"Right over there," Ash pointed out. The girls turned to where Ash faced.

"That's Prof. Oak's home?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Nope...that's mine." Ash was home, his house anyway. Ash got passed the front lawn to the door and opened it. He and his mouse entered the living room with a wide-screen TV, couch and a rocking chair. "Mom! I'm home!" Pinkie Pie and Max entered first behind Ash expecting Ash's mom to respond. Instead...

"Welcome home, Ash!" a young woman called as she made her appearance. Pinkie Pie was shocked. The one who responded was a redhead girl who had a short ponytail sticking sideways. She wore a yellow button-down mid-drift shirt and tiny matching shorts. In her arms was a tiny blue armless mouse with a bouncy ball on the tail. The yellow mouse was happy to see the redhead.

("Misty!") he squeaked as it dashed over to her.

"Hi, Pikachu!" she greeted as she petted the mouse. Pinkie Pie had a thought that...no, it couldn't be...

"You're Ash's mom!" she guessed while the other pink-haired girl and Rarity entered. Misty gawked in awkward confusion and disbelief.

"N-No, absolutely not! She and Mimey should be back from grocery shopping soon! What gives you the idea of me being Ash's mom?!"

"Well, you're the one who answered Ash!" Misty gulped, understanding where Pinkie Pie was coming from. She did answer Ash when he was calling for his mother.

"Pinkie Pie, she's far too young to be Ash's mother," Rarity clarified. "In fact, I could say that she's his sister." Misty got a little upset over these allegations that she and Ash were family.

"I'm neither!" she protested. Ash, do something to clear the air of bickering.

"Calm down!" he spoke up. Max and the girls stood on one side of the room while Misty was by the doorway leading to the kitchen. "Okay... let me greet everyone here. Ladies, this is Misty Waterflower. She's a friend and Gym Leader in Cerulean City." Yes, she's not his cousin or a sister-in-law.

"Ash, what's going on? And who are these women?" He's getting there, Misty. Please be patient.

"We're friends of Ash and Max," the lone unidentified girl replied. "I'm Fluttershy, that's Rarity and Pinkie Pie. You see, we're...from a different land. One not from this world." This mystified Misty.

"Those are some weird names and...what do you mean your land isn't from this world?" Rarity offered answers to her curiosity.

"It's rather hard to explain but we're actually ponies from a world called Equestria," she explained. This left Misty more confused.

("Is something wrong, Mama?") the blue mouse asked. Fluttershy noticed the little mouse.

"Is that your Pokémon?" she pointed to. Misty looked to where Fluttershy fingered, directed to the creäture wrapped in her arms.

"Oh, you mean Azurill?" she informed. "Yeah, he just hatched from his egg a couple of days ago." It's a newborn. Fluttershy knelt to meet Azurill.

"Hi there, Azurill." She pet the little Azurill who squeaked in enjoyment.

("Tickles!") he giggled. Pinkie Pie turned to Ash with some interest.

"Hey, could you run that hand-held thingy on that Azu-whatever it's called?" she requested. Ash dug into his bag and pulled out a red hand-held device and pointed it to Azurill.

"Azurill, the Polka Dot Pokémon," it computed. "Azurill is the pre-evolved form of Marill. It's bouncy tail stores nutrients for when it grows." Not much explanation, huh?

"Well, it's nice to actually meet you, Azurill," Ash introduced.

("You, too!") he replied. Suddenly, Ash was caught in a pair of arms, snared to avoid escape from the clutches of...

"Ash, you're home!" called out a young brunette woman. She was taller than Ash and wore a pink button-down blouse and jeans. Ash was surprised but soon realized who it was.

"Hi, mom!" he answered. Pinkie Pie and Rarity were rather stunned at who Ash's mother was, not to mention how young she appeared.

"Are you sure you're his mom?" Pinkie Pie suspiciously questioned. "You look more like his older sister." The mother blushed at the compliment.

"Do I really look that young?" she teased. As she giggled, a noise from outside alerted the mother.

("Master!") a clown with twigs for arms and legs called out with bags of groceries in hand. ("A little help!") Fluttershy and the mother heard the clown's call.

"Sorry, Mimey. Ash is back home and he's got guests." With help from Ash and Fluttershy, all the shopping bags were in. Ash and Mimey sorted the foods into cupboards and the refrigerator. However, Pikachu dug into the fridge and yanked out a bottle of ketchup...and began to lick the ketchup. Fluttershy was interested with the little circus icon.

"Is that who you really are, Mimey?" she asked. Mimey would clarify to Fluttershy who he was.

("Well, my master calls me that,") he cleared. ("I'm called a Mr. Mime. After Master mistaken me for Ash and taken care of me, I wanted to help repay her." Aw, that's sweet of a Pokémon to do that for someone who helped raise it. Fluttershy was befuddled with how Mimey was mistaken for Ash.

"I don't mean to be questioning your story but I don't see how you and Ash could be mistaken." Ash heard what Fluttershy was asking.

"I can answer that," he rose. "You see, after I won the Earth Badge to enter the Indigo Tournament, we ran into a circus crew having a few problems with a lazy Mr. Mime. Well, the ringmaster had failed to recruit Mimey who escaped and she needed someone to be the new star. So the ringmaster and Brock dressed me up at a Mr. Mime to get the star a little riled up. Just as the show was about to start, Team Rocket ruined the show and kidnapped me. When I removed my disguise, they were startled so bad, I was able to steal their balloon and made my way back here...still wearing the disguise." Fluttershy could only ponder how Ash looked like wearing a costume that looked like Mimey as the Pokémon laughed about it.

"You're funny, Ash." In humiliation, Ash blushed. Fluttershy saw the humor and wasn't discrete about it. He excused himself and retreated back to a bedroom upstairs. He tossed his backpack on a bunk bed and hung a belt with red/white marbles attached to it. He began to look back on the adventure throughout his recent trip.

'I nearly forgot encountering Fluttershy back at the sacred area, home to the Grass Pokémon. Then seeing all the rest of the ponies: Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo...let's not forget Princess Celestia.' A lot of names to remember. "Kinda wish they were here celebrating it with the rest of us." Be careful what you wish for. A flash of light burst from behind Ash who caught the light whiz by. He turned, a vortex swirling in midair. He approached the vortex, expecting someone he knew to be on the other side. That's when he saw four figures: three young ponies and a tiny dragon. One was a unicorn purple pony with its horn glowing in a veil of something. It's mane had a darker shade of purple with some pink streaks. Around it's tail were pink sparkles. Another pony was orange and wearing a cowboy hat over its blond mane. By her tail were some apples. The last pony was a blue Pegasus pony with a rainbow of colors in its mane. It's flank had a lightning bolt shooting out of a cloud with the same color as the mane. The purple dragon with the green scaly underbelly was dwarfed by the ponies. Ash was stunned at how his wish came true. "Well, speak of Equestria! Twilight, Rainbow, Applejack, Spike, what's up?" The orange pony, perhaps Applejack because of the apples, spoke for the rest.

"Howdy, Ash!" she hoofed. "Heard about your Top Eight finish in the Evergrand Tournament. Congrats, partner!" That was awfully nice of them to show support.

"Believe me, it's not that big of a deal, Applejack. I just gotta train harder with my Pokémon." The Pegasus wasn't so sure he needed to downgrade himself.

"Are you hoofing us around, Ash?" she nagged. "How many other trainers from Pallet Town can you imagine doing better than you in a tournament?" Embarrassed, Ash scratched his neck.

"I guess you have a point there, Rainbow. But why are you guys visiting? Picking up the other three who are here?" The unicorn, Twilight Sparkle by process of elimination, had that answer.

"Actually, the princess wanted to give you a gift for your accomplishments in protecting the Pokémon as well as Fluttershy and Apple Bloom," she corrected. Spike the dragon presented a rolled up paper to Ash who opened it up and read it.

DEAR PRINCESS CELESTIA- IS IT WRONG TO HAVE FEELINGS FOR SOMEONE WHO ISN'T REALLY YOUR SPECIES. I, AS A PONY FROM CANTERLOT-

"Hey!" he yelped as the paper was whisked away by Applejack who crossed through the vortex and became a human teen girl wearing a plaid, orange button-down shirt, jean shorts, leather boots and her mark as tattoos on her thighs.

"Darling, that's Fluttershy's letter that should have gone to the princess," she snapped. Spike slapped his head for the mistake.

"My bad," he apologized before grabbing another letter. Applejack looked at it to make sure, then handed it to Ash.

"Ah, this one!" he realized.

ASH KETCHUM-

CANTERLOT WOULD LOVE TO CELEBRATE YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR THE GUARDIANSHIP OF MY PONIES AND THE POKÉMON DURING YOUR QUEST IN THE HOENN REGION. IT'S A TOKEN OF OUR GRATITUDE AND BLESSING THAT YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS ENJOY A FEAST IN YOUR HONOR AND PRAYERS THAT YOU WILL CONTINUE YOUR JOURNEYS NOT JUST TO BECOME MASTER BUT TO PROTECT AND SERVE THE CREATURES OF YOUR WORLD. WE ALL IN CANTERLOT HOPE TO SEE YOU SOON.

BEST WISHES, PRINCESS CELESTIA.

An invitation to Canterlot for a party? And the princess was the maid of honor? Who would pass that up? "Wow!" he awed. "This is unreal! I'll have to tell everyone...and wait until May and Brock come to visit." This intrigued Spike. What for?

"So Rarity and Brock aren't together?" he gasped. "Can I see Rarity?" Ash wouldn't mind but he chose to tease Spike for the thrill.

"You'll need to wait until everyone's ready." Spike mulled at the news of waiting friends."Tell you what. I'll tell the others about this invite and meet you at the ranch." Applejack acknowledged the plan and retreated back into the vortex.

"I'll see you when I open the portal there," Twilight informed. Ash nodded in knowing where they would show up.

"Let's hope that my heard of Tauros don't come barreling into your home. That's a mess I hope doesn't happen." A soft chuckle from Applejack and Rainbow echoed before the vortex vanished in a blast of light. A little while after those ponies disappeared, a knock at the door.

"Ash, are you still dressed?" sounded his mother.

"Yeah!" The brunette parent entered along with Fluttershy.

"I heard some sort of ruckus up here. Is everything okay?" The noise jostled everyone downstairs.

"Yeah, I was just visited by some of Fluttershy's friends and..." He presented his mother and the pink-haired Celestia's RSVP invite. "We've been invited to a party." Mrs. Ketchum and Fluttershy examined the note, a little shocked that this was an invite to a celebration.

"I think you earned it, but I will chaperone to make sure this is a legitimate RSVP if you know what I mean." The mother wanted to check out this party.

"Yeah, absolutely!" Fluttershy acted a little worried about the situation...and for good reason.

"Are you sure it's okay to let your mom see the princess?" she pointed out. Ash wasn't worried one bit, completely forgetting about Applejack's transformations entering through the vortex.

"Well, yeah. I mean, what better way for the princess to know who actually raised me." Interesting point. Fluttershy could only imagine how Mrs. Ketchum would deal with becoming a pony. Mrs. Ketchum had something else in mind.

"Ash, dear?" she called. "Why don't you take your friends to Prof. Oak's lab? I gotta tidy up the kitchen for a special dinner."

"Okay, Mom." With Fluttershy and soon Max, Rarity and Pinkie Pie, they headed out the door, on their way down the street to Prof. Oak's house. As they journeyed away from the house, the mother wondered how Ash was able to acquire teenage girls like the three he eventually brought home.

"My baby boy is certainly growing up but I didn't think he had what it takes to find love with the older set. I wonder if maybe he's trying to teach Brock how to properly be friends with the opposite gender?" There were many questions that began to pop up. Right now, all that mattered was this invite to Canterlot via Princess Celestia. How exactly was he going to get there? Twilight Sparkle?

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TO BE CONTINUED...


	2. Oak Land's Ranch Roundup

_Chapter 2: Oak Land's Ranch Roundup_

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Mimey and Mrs. Ketchum were cleaning up the living room after Ash, Max and the girls left to Prof. Oak's laboratory the next morning. It wasn't long ago that Ash, Max, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rarity arrived in Pallet Town. Introduced to Misty, some confusion rose but quickly faded. As if the reunion of friends weren't enough, Twilight Sparkle, joined by Applejack and Rainbow Dash, gave Ash an invite to join the rest in Canterlot over in Equestria. 'I guess I should have expected this attitude from Ash,' Mrs. Ketchum thought. 'I was hoping he'd talk about his adventure to the wee hours of the morning but all he's interested in is seeing how his Pokémon are doing. He has such restless energy, not to mention three teenage girls. I can only imagine where he got that charm from.' Her mind stopped thinking when there was a knock at the door. Mrs. Ketchum spun her head to where Mimey answered the door. No one for a moment...before a few creatures came in, surprising Mimey. One was a young chicken with claws for wings and standing like a human. The second was a fat blue bear cub and the last was a blue creature that had a green plant bulb on it's back with a heart mark on its forehead. Mrs. Ketchum wasn't so startled, just interested with who they were. "Oh, my!" That's when a new girl entered the scene. The brunette girl in red seemed happy to find someone. What for?

"Hey, is Ash here?" she asked. Mrs. Ketchum wasn't upset with new visitors.

"You must be May. Ash and his friends are over at Prof. Oak's lab." She missed him by that much.

"I see. I'll head over there right away." She began to run off when...

"Hey, hey, let me come with!" May looked back to see the mother coming. "I wanna cook for everyone there." May couldn't wait to try Mrs. Ketchum's cooking. As they traveled to the laboratory, May was curious about the older brunette.

"So you're Ash's mom, huh? Who's his dad?" Mrs. Ketchum feigned to answer. Was there a dad?

"We haven't seen him since he had gone on his journey. I do wish that he'd stop by a little more often." May wanted to sympathize Ash. "Well, at least he has friends like you and Misty."

"That's true." They arrived at a gate in front of a white complex. The gate was open. As they entered the building, they saw Ash and Pinkie Pie watching Ash on TV. May gawked at the sight of Pinkie Pie. On the screen was Ash with a green gecko that had leaves on its arms. On the other side was a blue walrus with a fluffy mustache and a green-haired girl in control. She had on a red button-down t-shirt and black skirt.

"Ash's final Pokémon is Grovyle," the announcer played out. "Katie's Walrein is still looking fresh after taking out Ash's Swellow and Corphish. Ash should be aware that Walrein is both Water _and_ Ice-Types compared to Grovyle's Grass-Type." Pinkie Pie watched on, studying how Ash did against Katie and her Walrein.

"Now, Walrein," Katie called out. "Use Ice Beam!" Walrein fired a lines of blue bolts at Grovyle.

"Dodge and use Leaf Blade!" Ash called out. "Let's go!" Grovyle leaped above the blue bolts as the leaves on its arms morphed into glowing green blades.

"Now, escape underwater!" Walrein jumped into the pool where Grovyle swiped the blades, missing the walrus by a fraction of a second.

"Again?!" Ash was getting mad at Katie's strategy with the pool.

"Ah, yes, it is nice to be on the Water Battlefield. Walrein, Ice Beam! Go!" Walrein fired another Ice Beam, clipping Grovyle in the shoulder. Ash's frustration was showing, mounting even more with Walrein popping it's head from the water trying to intimidate Grovyle. Suddenly, Ash spotted something in the water...and smiled.

"That's it! Why didn't I think of this before?" That's when the TV froze. Malfunction? No, Pinkie Pie used the remote to press the "PAUSE" button.

"Wait, what did you mean you didn't this of this before?" she asked to the Ash by her, not on the TV.

"There was a piece of ice that was on a platform from one of Walrein's Ice Beams," he explained. "I had to find a way to stop Walrein from launching sneak attacks like that." Before Pinkie Pie could resume...

"Pinkie Pie, is that you?" May asked. Ash and Pinkie Pie turned to Ash's mom and May. Pinkie Pie was happy to see another friend she remembered.

"May, what's up?" she greeted.

"Pinkie Pie, what are you doing here? I thought Fluttershy loved Ash, not you." Pinkie Pie giggled at the assumption.

"Oh, she's here. She's upstairs with Max, Misty and Tracey." The sound of Max being here forced May to gasp in reaction. She dashed upstairs as Rarity and two older men in lab coats popped out. One was a somewhat young brunette man who was rather rounded and had a goatee. The other, thinner but older. He's got gray hair. Hm, what were they doing over there? May reached the staircase top where a baby blue turtle ran away from Max in tears as Misty, Fluttershy and a raven-haired teenage boy watched on. The turtle leaped into May's arms, crying in fear.

"Whoa, hey! It's okay. Don't cry!" Max saw the new arrival and freaked out.

"H-Hi, May!" Max stuttered. "What's up?" May wasn't happy about Max's behavior around this turtle.

"What's up? You scaring Pokémon!" That's when she realized something wrong about Max being here. "Wait, why are you here before I am?" If Max wasn't sweating bullets before, he was now.

"Well...you see...uh..." Ash reached the top of the staircase to help with the situation.

"It's Prof. Birch's idea," he answered as those from downstairs emerged up. "He gave Max a ticket before he joined me and Brock on the ferry ride." May had the look of astonishment.

"Really?" she awed.

"That night we returned to Petalburg City, Prof. Birch told me that the ferry back to Kanto had been delayed due to inclimate sailing weather so he called me up wanting to know if I could join them to see Prof. Oak's home and see all the Pokémon," Max continued. "And it just so happened that after Brock broke away to Pewter City, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rarity met up with me and Ash." More awe from May figured the incidents with Max wasn't intentional, just someone who had anxiety to see someone and found others.

"Wow, talk about a coincidence." She turned to Fluttershy. "I think it's a good thing you and your friends came by when Ash and Max were near Pallet Town." Fluttershy smiled at the compliment. Suddenly...

"AH!" the brunette man yelped in surprise. All turned to see him being smothered by a giant purple pile of slime.

"Muk, stop that right now!" Misty yelled.

"Yeah, come on, Muk!" Ash snapped as well. "Off of Prof. Birch!" Muk groaned in denial. Amused, the gray-haired and Rarity just watched.

"Dear me," the gray-haired hushed. "It seems like Muk's taking a bit of a shine to Prof. Birch."

"At least it's Prof. Birch and not little old me," Rarity chuckled. Come on, Rarity, that's not nice. After removing Muk from Birch, the group regrouped downstairs where Ash informed May of the invite.

"Really?" she gasped. "A celebration over in Canterlot?" Pinkie Pie and Rarity, as well as the professors and Misty, were shocked at the RSVP treatment Ash received.

"Yeah, I had to pinch myself in the cheeks a few times when Twilight Sparkle stopped by," he admitted to self-injury. "But we've been invited to crossover into Equestria and see Princess Celestia." The news of a celebration for Ash was greatly excitable for everyone.

"So there's another princess we're meeting?" Misty questioned. Pinkie Pie turned to the redhead, willing to ask for clarification.

"What do you mean another princess?" she asked. "Did you run into another princess before?"

"As a matter of fact, back in the Mirage Kingdom where we met Princess Sara." The word of another princess excited the girls. "You see, her kingdom shares a gateway to a sacred land where I..." Misty became saddened suddenly.

"Are you feeling like yourself, Misty?" Rarity asked. A couple of tears rolled down her face, May realizing something Misty remembered.

"She remembers that she and her Togetic broke away after we defeated Col. Hansen," she replayed. To hear of a breakup with a trainer and Pokémon was tough even for Fluttershy to handle. She shed a few tears herself. The memory was nothing easy to deal with.

"Sorry. I...got choked up." No one could blame her for that sudden tear-jerker. "Anyway, Princess Sara helped us save her home to shorten it without anymore crying needed. I'm pretty interested in seeing this Princess Celestia." Ash was happy to hear about Misty's interest in seeing Equestria. That's when Birch had an announcement.

"Oh, before I forget," he spoke up. "May, Mr. Contesta called the Petalburg Gym after your ferry left for Kanto that they're all set for Pokémon Contests in this region. Like before, you need five ribbons to enter the Grand Festival which will be held at the Indigo Plateau." Information of Pokémon Contests intrigued May, willing to try new contests. There was more and it was from Max.

"That and Ash has been offered to challenge the Battle Frontier," he added. The kids were being kept busy.

"Battle Frontier?" May curiously repeated.

"The Battle Frontier is made up of seven Frontier Brains in which I compete for their symbols," Ash explained. "Once I get six of the symbols, the seventh Frontier Brain will appear. Who knows what will happen after I collect all seven." Two sets of journeys on one trip around the region. "But we should take care of this celebration, first." The gray-haired man was curious.

"Do you know when and how you're going to get to Canterlot?" he wondered.

"Yeah, Twilight should be opening up a portal over at the ranch in an hour. That should give us plenty of time to check up on the Pokémon I left in your care." It was all arraigned. Who knew Ash could be so well-organized?

"Well, I'm willing to see all of your Pokémon right now," Fluttershy requested. Pinkie Pie and Max were all wanting to see it as well.

"Yeah, can we go and see?" they pleaded. Ash wanted to see them too.

"Okay, okay!" he snapped. "I think we're all eager to see the Pokémon. Prof. Oak, is it okay?" The gray-haired understood the dilemma of anxiety.

"They're your friends so I shouldn't deny access," he acknowledged. "But you should exercise behavior and caution. Some of these Pokémon will attack without warning." All accepted the professor's advice before Ash escorted most to the backyard. Misty and the other teen remained inside to take care of a few things. In the backyard, all sorts of Pokémon were doing whatever they found useful of their time. Seeing all these creatures big and small, cute to weird, made Fluttershy think of home.

'All these Pokémon,' she thought. 'Reminds me of Angel of all the creatures at my cottage.' Before long, another bulb creature scampered toward the humans, Ash being the first to spot it.

"Bulbasaur!" he greeted. This Bulbasaur didn't have a heart mark like the one who was at Mrs. Ketchum's door. "Everyone in the ranch behaving?"

("No arguments since I came back,") it commented. ("Did you wanna see everyone again?")

"We all would," Fluttershy answered. Bulbasaur dashed off to look for all the Pokémon. As it searched for the creatures, Ash and the rest journeyed around the ranch, viewing Pokémon in a controlled habitat.

"These Pokémon look like they're enjoying themselves," Rarity noticed. "I've seen some of them in a romantic mood, if you gather my drift." There were some Pokémon that were getting pretty cozy with others.

"Kinda reminds us of a certain couple here," Max teased about Ash and Fluttershy.

"Max..." Fluttershy nervously gawked, allowing laughs to bellow. They soon stumbled by a giant blue bear. Just look at how huge his stomach was. You could fit a few dozen Pikachu in that girth.

"That's my Snorlax for you," Ash huffed a sigh. "Always lounging around." Everyone awed at how Ash had such a huge Pokémon

"That's yours?" Max gasped. "Wow!"

"It's so much bigger when you see it up close," May awed. Someone viewed the stomach as something more than just where the food goes.

"Right?" Pinkie Pie agreed. "I almost wanna bounce on that tummy."Ash didn't see any harm in waking Snorlax.

"Wake up, Snorlax!" he called up.

("We're back from Hoenn!") Pikachu backed Ash as always. The calls were enough to stir Snorlax awake and have it sitting up.

("Hey, Ash, Pikachu,") the giant bear welcomed. ("How's it hanging, dudes?") The other girls were impressed.

"For such a giant creature to remain so docile," Rarity hushed. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy couldn't help but approach the large Snorlax.

"Careful, guys," Ash warned. "Snorlax is a Pokémon Sumo Wrestling champion." There's some power with all that weight on the big Pokémon.

"It may be big but at least it's not a dragon," Fluttershy smiled. The others wondered what she meant by that.

"Dragon?" Rarity, help him understand.

"Fluttershy is deathly afraid of dragons," she clarified. "The only exception is Spike. She's still remarkable considering she faced a Manticore while we searched for the Elements of Harmony." Ash pondered how to help Fluttershy and her fear of dragons.

"I could take her to see Clair," he plotted. "There are Dragon Pokémon that I know she wouldn't mind showing to Fluttershy. The dragons here are more subtle and tame, aside from Rayquaza." Rarity and May thought this was a good idea.

"Anything but Rayquaza, that's for sure," she teased. Suddenly, a rumbling. The ground shook as if Pallet Town was being hit with an earthquake. "What's with the shaking?!" Ash turned to the calls and viewed a charging pack of Pokémon. He was in glee.

"It's my Pokémon!" he cheered as he waved them over. "Guys, hi!" The Pokémon reached the children but while most stopped, a herd of brown bulls passed the group. As the head passed...Ash, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were missing. The others were wondering where Ash and the two girls vanished, quickly realizing that maybe those bulls took him.

"Ash!" Max and Rarity called out in fear. It prompted a yellowish-green dinosaur with a leaf on its head and needle-like leaves on its neck to chase after.

("Darling!") it called out. The bulls roamed at high-speed, one carrying Ash and Fluttershy, both hanging on to the steer and each other. Fluttershy couldn't handle the speed.

"Help!" she screamed.

"I got ya!" Ash reassured. On another bull, Pinkie Pie rode it like a cowboy, actually enjoying the stampede.

"Ride 'em, pony!" she laughed. Ash and Fluttershy were too afraid of being trampled by the bulls that they couldn't argue with Pinkie Pie's recklessness. The other raven-haired teen stepped out, viewing the charging herd, as well as Ash and Fluttershy in trouble.

"Oh no!" he gasped as he snagged a red/white ball from his waistband. "Go, Marrill!" The ball opened and it appeared to be a bigger Azurill except it had arms and a white belly. "Marrill, Water Gun on that Tauros!" Marrill fired a stream of water, hitting the Tauros in the eyes. Blinded, the Tauros slowed enough for the dinosaur to extend vines and snagged Ash and Fluttershy. The herd ran by as the dinosaur allowed the two down.

("You okay, darling!") it asked. Ash was glad to get off that wild ride as Misty reached the raven-haired teen's side with the turtle, orange baby lizard with a fire on its tail and a Bulbasaur.

"We're okay, Bayleef," he reassured. "Thanks for that Vine Whip!" Bayleef nuzzled its head on Ash who enjoyed it.

("Oh, darling!") Fluttershy got a bit skeptic about what Bayleef called Ash. Did Bayleef have more feeling for Ash than she did?

"Bayleef calls Ash, darling?" she questioned. "Why is that?" Misty and the other raven-haired looked on in amazement at how Fluttershy understood Bayleef so quickly.

"Bayleef's pretty affectionate towards me," he answered. That's when he realized that Pinkie Pie was on a Tauros as well. "Hey, where did Pinkie Pie go?" Answering was Pinkie Pie as she rode back on the Tauros.

"Looking for me?" she replied as the Tauros was tame. "You're Tauros are awesomely powerful. Controlling one is tough!" The way she rode Tauros had the others questioning her words. Misty figured about why the Tauros stampeded through the ranch so empowering.

"Well, Pinkie Pie, Pokémon often tend to behave like their trainers," she teased Ash. "And I know one trainer who's been running wild." Ash glared at Misty, wondering what she meant by that.

"Oh, you do?" he asked without realizing she was talking about him. Pinkie Pie was stroking Tauros' mane, comforting the beast. The rest of the group and Pokémon reached the spot of where Ash and the rest ended up.

"Ash!" Max called. Arriving, they saw the parties doing all right. "We were worried about all of you!" Rarity had a yellow owl perched on her shoulder.

"Ash, your Pokémon are amazing," May cheerfully complimented. "I'm in love with all of them!" The turtle saw May, happily running up to her. May saw the turtle, hugging it for its concern. "Hey, Squirtle!" It was a touching hug.

"That's sweet!" Misty awed. "Squirtle really likes you!" May smiled, getting respect from Misty. The raven-haired teen came forward with a question of his own.

"Ash, your mom said that a portal's gonna open in the ranch," he reminded. Ash knew he was talking about the invite from Twilight Sparkle. "Do you know where it's suppose to open?" Ash knew of when, but where was another question, no pun intended.

"A flash of light will tell us where the portal will open, Tracey," he tried to clarify. "But do you wanna come with us? I mean, when we cross, we won't be in familiar skin." Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, May and Max knew what to expect but the others were clueless.

"What do you mean, Ash?" Misty wondered. All Ash could do was warn them.

"When the portal opens, you'll understand," Rarity helped out. Pinkie Pie hopped off of Tauros to stretch her legs.

"That was as good as riding that one sheep when Fluttershy went missing, " she replayed. "Of course, I didn't have hands like right now." Misty and Tracy could not find the words to say to Pinkie Pie. They rustled the Pokémon back to the open so that they could view more Pokémon, most that weren't his. A stable had white unicorn horses with flames for manes. The sight of these horses gave Fluttershy a reminder that she thought Pinkie Pie had the same.

"These remind me of when Twilight exploded with anger," she recalled. Pinkie Pie had a closer look at the horses as Ash came by.

"Oh, yeah! Twilight was trying to understand my Pinkie Senses then. Who knew she briefly became one of these?" Fluttershy petted the snout of one, much to the horse's delight.

"Did I hear you right?" Ash asked for clarification. "Twilight became Rapidash?" Ash thought of how Twilight would become a Rapidash. Talk about burning mad. Looking at the shadows, Ash believed that the vortex to Equestria should be opening soon. "We better make sure we're with everyone when Twilight opens the vortex." All agreed and soon found each other. They waited for the vortex at a clearing. Ash knew that even if they see Twilight, they wouldn't believe it. He just didn't have time. "Any minute now." How about any _second_ now? A flash of light told everyone about the vortex. It opened and there was Twilight, Rainbow and Applejack. Ash would be the first to greet as Misty and Tracy...as well as the Pokémon were in shock. "You came to pick us up?"

"Yep," Twilight acknowledged. Misty's jaw nearly fell through the ground in disbelief.

"Wait a second," Misty irked in disbelief. "That thing...can talk?" Yeah, a real shock, huh?

"Well!" Pinkie Pie chirped. "That's what we really are. Get ready to crawl on all fours!" Misty and Tracy gulped, only wondering what they would look like as ponies. Pikachu and Azurill wondered if they would become something else than their forms right now.

"Ready to go?" Twilight invited the group. Ash's anxiety was noting and he couldn't wait any longer.

"We sure are," Max answered as he and Ash made their way to the vortex. The rest followed, supporting the celebrity invited to Canterlot. When they finally crossed, they were in for a surprise.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	3. Saddling Down

_Chapter 3: Saddling Down_

* * *

Welcome to Ponyville. Ash, Misty, Max, May, Tracey, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rarity entered the vortex provided by Twilight Sparkle. When they crossed to the new land, they were transformed from humans to ponies. Pikachu and Azurill weren't changed at all, really retaining their forms. The others weren't so lucky. Ash had his hat but he was turned into a blue pony, the blue darker than Rainbow Dash with green hooves. His wild raven hair was now a mane. Misty was a yellow pony with a spiky red with two ponytails, on her tail and her head. Max was a green pony with his glasses still on. May was a red pony who still had her headband on but her hair was distorted to where it appeared to be bull horns on her head. Tracey was altered into a turquoise pony and still had his headband. Fluttershy was a yellow winged pony, her fur lighter than Misty. She also had butterflies around her pink tail. Pinkie Pie turned into a pink pony with her hair and tail retaining the shape. She also had balloons around her tail. Lastly, Rarity turned into a white horned pony with diamonds imprinted by her tail. The kids were shocked to see themselves as ponies but none more than the redhead. "What in the world?!" Misty shrieked. "I feel like a Ponyta!" Tracey would agree to her that becoming a pony was unusual.

"It's gonna take a while to get use to this new form," he surveyed. Applejack noticed that Pikachu didn't change, curious about why.

"That's odd," she noticed. "You managed to change but Pikachu's still it's rodent self." Pikachu patted himself, disbelief that nothing happened to him.

("She's right!") he squeaked. ("I was hoping for something.") That's someone who's disappointed. Twilight was ready to close the vortex.

"Is that everyone?" she asked. Before Ash could answer.

"Wait!" spoke Mrs. Ketchum as she, the professors and a tanned young man with spiky raven hair raced to the vortex. He wore brown clothes from his jacket to his cargo pants and his eyes were squinted. The humans stopped feet from the vortex as they viewed ponies on the other side, surprised to see what awaited them.

"What's going on?" Birch gasped. "And what are they?!" Seeing Twilight, the tanned teen realized what the occasion could be.

"Twilight, is Ash with you?" he asked.

"Yeah, so are a few others, Brock," Twilight replied. Mrs. Ketchum knew that she needed to make sure Ash was okay. She was his mother.

"Let me come and see," she ordered. As she walked toward the vortex, Brock and the professors were worried.

"Delia, be careful!" Oak warned. Brock got to Delia's side as they both entered the vortex with Twilight taking a sidestep. Once they entered, they changed as well. Delia was now a faded pink pony with her ponytail brunette hair in a mane. Brock was a light brown pony and his mane was like a line of spikes.

"This is unusual," Brock realized. "I feel like I belong in a stable!" Delia hoofed to Ash's side, seeing Pikachu and her son, one in a different...hide.

"Ash, what's happened to us?" she demanded an answer. "Why am I a pony?" Ash wanted to explain but even he had a hard time determining it himself.

"Magic from this world," he summed up as simply as a few worlds. "When we all crossed the vortex, we became the same skin as most who travel in this plain. It's also where the three girls are from." Delia turned to Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity as the ponies Ash passed them off.

"Oh, dear..." Then, she began to wonder if this form that she had taken would be permanent. "Is there any way to revert back? I don't wanna be a pony who raised a human!" Twilight scoffed, though struggling to keep the vortex open with her glowing horn.

"Easy!" she spoke. "Jump right back through." Delia gawked at the quick reply to some pony she just saw.

"Really?" Testing Twilight's answer, Delia leaped back passed the gate and her human skin was back, as well as her clothes. The professors were shocked and awed to see how the vortex behaved.

"Fascinating!" Oak hushed. "The vortex holds a mysterious power that can alter the appearance of who passes through the gate between the dimensions!" The only thing he needed was to find out why this occurred.

"I'm happy enough on my legs, thank you if you were offering," Birch denied. Delia was worried about Ash and his friends being ponies and what was going on.

"So, who are you and did you give Ash that invite?" she questioned.

"It was the princess but yeah, it was us," Twilight admitted. "But don't worry. We'll make sure your son gets to see her safely." Delia wasn't sure about letting Ash go with...ponies to see a princess. After all, her son was a pony himself. However, the concept of seeing a princess won her decision.

"Okay. Behave yourself over there, Ash!" Ash bobbed a nod, telling his mother that he'll do what the ponies neigh him to do.

"Is that everyone?" Twilight wondered. Ash looked, no one else present from his home who wanted to come by.

"Yep!" he replied. Ash could waive his mother and the professors goodbye if his hands weren't replaced with hooves. Twilight closed the vortex, sealing every pony in the world. The newly ponies looked around, noticing the giant shelves of books. The place looked like the inside of a hollow tree. Even Misty and Tracey were infatuated with this new environment.

"This is your home?" Misty asked. Twilight stepped her hooves to Misty to help confirm this.

"Yeah, well, it's more of a home away from home," she corrected. This left some of the ponies horsing for an answer.

"What do you mean?" May wondered. Twilight's head darted to a fixed direction...to a mountain with something pink shining near the peak.

"Spike and I grew up where we're all going to celebrate...Canterlot!" She was in the royal destination but did she pass off becoming an heir to the kingdom?

"But if you're originally from Canterlot, why did you come to Ponyville?" Brock eagerly wanted to know.

"It was supposed to be a way to step out and make friends as requested by Princess Celestia. Needless to say, I've met five of the best friends a pony could ever ask for." It's always nice to have friends.

"What do you mean needless?!" Rainbow stammered. "You NEEDED us to get the Elements of Harmony from Nightmare Moon!" Twilight gave Rainbow an evil glare, telling her to back off from the subject.

"Do those two argue a lot?" Misty questioned to Applejack.

"They have a few tussles but nothing too serious," she clarified as she strut toward the door. How to open a door when you have hooves, not hands? "Any who, allow me to show you...Ponyville!" She pushed open the door which revealed a small village where ponies roamed. They strolled around, acting like humans to a fault: shopping, shipping, conversing...

"Pallet Town for ponies," Tracey joked. "I could do a sketch of this...if I didn't have my hands replaced." Pinkie Pie patted a hoof on Tracey's back.

"Don't worry about it," she laughed. "Maybe there can be a time Twilight can have you sketch Ponyville." A thoughtful gesture. As the ponies filed out of the tree house, Misty noticed that there were ponies with interesting tattoos by their tails. Keep in mind, she and Tracey have had less exposure to these ponies than the others.

"What are those tattoos on the ponies," she asked. Fluttershy swooped in to help with the detail.

"Those 'tattoos' are actually cutie marks," she stated. "Each pony gets them when they discover what their purpose in life is." Misty seemed intrigued by the story, picturing herself with a cutie mark of a big water drop.

"If I have a cutie mark, mine would be like the Cerulean Gym's Cascade Badge." Fluttershy and Ash scoffed a chuckle at Misty's sudden wish.

"Misty, I...doubt we'll get cutie marks," he brought her back to reality. "We're humans, not ponies." Though, it was nice to dream. That's when Ash turned to Twilight with a question. "So, when are we going to Canterlot?"

"Spike just sent my letter to Princess Celestia, saying that you and your friends were here in Equestria," she informed. "When we get a letter back, we'll know when she can expect us."

"At least I made sure which letter it was," Spike reassured. Well, with the waiting game beginning, what to do, oh, what to do to pass the time?

"If it's all right with everyone," Fluttershy spoke up. "I want to take Ash to my cottage and see all the animals there." Not surprised, Ash was with Fluttershy while the others seek pairs. Applejack and Rainbow guided Misty, May and Max to a farm on a different corner of Ponyville and Rarity and Pinkie Pie headed to a cottage filled with fashion memorabilia with Brock and Tracy. At another cottage, Ash and Fluttershy arrived at a bridge connecting to the home.

"That's where you're from?" Ash asked as they hoofed up the walkway.

"Yes," she calmly snapped. "I run this place for the injured and defenseless animals that stumble on to here. I can treat them until they regain their strength and able to return to their habitat. Of course, they often attach to me as they sometimes don't wanna return." Some mice, smaller than Pikachu, came out and welcomed their pony nurse when she and Ash entered. "I'm home everyone. Have you been behaving with the other animals?" Every mouse bobbed their heads.

"I can see why. After all, you have the Element of Kindness, right?" The mice and some birds who flew in were curious about Ash and Pikachu. "So it's no wonder that you've given these creatures so much love and care." Fluttershy giggled at Ash's studies.

"Is it really _that _obvious?" Last to come in was a white bunny about Pikachu's size. Seeing all the creatures and how they gazed at Ash, Fluttershy chose to ease all tension. "Everyone, this is my friend, Ash. He's not an ordinary pony." The creatures came forward to greet the new guests...except for the bunny as Fluttershy spotted. "It's okay, Angel. He and Pikachu are friendly." Angel still felt that it wanted no part of greeting her boyfriend. Suddenly...

"Is that you, Fluttershy?" a girl called out. That's when three smaller ponies showed up. One was a yellow pony with a pink bow in her red mane. The second was a white unicorn pony with a pink/purple mane. The last was an orange winged pony with fuchsia for her mane. The three were excited to see the elder Pegasus pony.

"Hey, how was the other world?" the white pony neighed.

"Pretty exciting," Fluttershy answered. "I got to see plenty of Pokémon over there, including one that could eat you ponies whole..." This terrified the little fillies. It even spooked Ash.

"Really, Fluttershy?" he mulled. Even Pikachu had a bit of a tiff. Seeing Pikachu brought on notice to the yellow pony.

"Is that you, Pikachu?" she gasped. Pikachu was happy to see the ponies.

("Apple Bloom, hey!") Pikachu greeted. Apple Bloom stepped up, nuzzling Pikachu with her snout.

"So you found your way to Ponyville, but you're still you! Why?" That had Pikachu scratching his ears.

("No clue.") Apple Bloom looked up at Ash, sensing who the new, blue pony was.

"Then you're Ash?"

"You got it, Apple Bloom!" Ash confirmed. "Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, how's the Crusaders' quest?" The three little ponies enjoyed having Ash around for them to tell stories. Hours passed when the Crusaders had gone home. Fluttershy offered the couch for Ash and Pikachu. The ponies in Ponyville have snuggled in their cottages and barns for the night. Ash stepped out from Fluttershy's cottage for some fresh air. This was a long day for Ash. He could only wonder when Celestia would be ready for Ash and his friends.

"Ash!" Twilight called out as she and Spike hoofed to Ash's side.

"Twilight, Spike, what's up?" Spike held a rolled up paper which he straightened out but didn't read it to Ash just yet.

"We just got word when we can go to Canterlot," he announced.

"Awesome!" Spike held the paper up, reading the letter.

DEAR TWILIGHT SPARKLE-  
I APPRECIATE THE NOTICE THAT ASH KETCHUM AND HIS FRIENDS HAVE SAFELY ARRIVED IN EQUESTRIA TO HELP CELEBRATE ASH'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS DURING HIS TRAVELS IN HOENN. THE SERVANTS AND GUARDS HAVE BEEN PREPARING THE VISIT AND WILL BE DONE BY TOMORROW NIGHT. WE CAN EXPECT EVERYONE IN CANTERLOT THE DAY AFTER. WE WISH FOR YOUR SAFE JOURNEY.  
-SINCERELY, PRINCESS CELESTIA.

P.S., ADVISE RARITY NOT TO MAKE ANY CLOTHES FOR ASH. IT IS UNNECESSARY AS HE WILL BE PRESENTED IN HIS NATURAL FORM.

So Ash could be there naked? No, he's coated in fur. Ash would be able to meet with Princess Celestia in two days. "Guess after the party, it's back to my world to try the Battle Frontier," Ash planned.

"The Battle Frontier?" Twilight repeated. "So, you'll be on another adventure, huh?" Ash nodded.

"I won't rest until I'm a Pokémon Master." He had a goal ahead of him. Twilight wanted to poke a little fun at him.

"You might need _some_ rest, every night. Otherwise, you'll burn yourself out." Spike chuckled while Ash blushed in embarrassment. "Well, I did wanna see you in private for something." Then why did you bring Spike along?

"Oh, well," Spike sighed. "I was sent to give you and...her those messages. See you tomorrow." After Spike was a safe distance, Twilight was ready to let something off her mane.

"I don't wanna get between you and Fluttershy but...well..." Ash listened to what Twilight was trying to say. She struggled to find the correct words to let fly out of her head. "Why is it so difficult to say it?!" Ash nudged his horse head on Twilight's torso.

"Twilight, calm down and compose yourself," he instructed. Twilight's heavy huff of breath blew some frustration from her mind, her eyes darting away from him.

"Sorry about that. I thought if I tell you this, I could ruin your relationship with Fluttershy." Ash wasn't worried about consequences. "I mean...I shouldn't really be falling for a human as a pony myself...but the more I see you, the more I'm reminded about the time we fought Team Rocket together and how you were able to defend all of us, even Princess Celestia." Ash remembered the day where he helped the ponies and Pokémon. Hearing that Twilight had a heart for, he wrapped his legs around her in a hug. Twilight was surprised that Ash would comfort her despite the relationship.

"Is it just because of Fluttershy's reaction?" Twilight recalled her thoughts for a second.

"Yeah. It has nothing to do with my studies in Canterlot under Princess Celestia. It's just...I'm a pony and you're a human. Fluttershy's a pony, herself but..."

"I understand." Twilight relaxed greatly, weight of guilt and discomfort off her back. Suddenly, a black silk cloud swirled around the two. Before long, the cloud formed into a cross of a unicorn and Pegasus black pony, slightly larger than either Ash or Twilight. The pony was wearing a golden tiara. Twilight recognized the new pony.

"Princess Luna!" Ash was startled. There was another princess?

"Is this the pony that my elder sister wanted to see in Canterlot?" she wondered, referring to Ash.

"This is. Princess Luna, this is Ash Ketchum." Facing a form of royalty, Ash bowed his head to her.

"I was unaware that Equestria had two princesses," he confessed. Luna scoffed, knowing that he was never acknowledged about Equestria's legacy.

"You are forgiven," she said. "Let me see who you really are." She pressed her horn on Ash's head and it emitted a lavender glow. There, images of Ash as a human popped in Luna's mind. Ash, a competitor, traveler and hero in the many pictures, saving Pokémon and sometimes other humans. Then it got really interesting when moments of human Fluttershy and how close she was to Ash, not to mention that moment where Ash as a human saw Fluttershy as the Pegasus pony. A few minutes later, Luna removed the horn. "Just like my elder sister described. It's no wonder why she cherishes you." The praise painted a smile on Ash's face. "I will see you and your friends in Canterlot." On the promise, Luna morphed back into the cloud and flew up. The day was long and Ash yawned, ready for some shuteye.

"I think I should get back to the cottage and get some sleep," he pointed out.

"Yeah, good idea," Twilight agreed. "And Ash?" Before Ash could react, Twilight's lips pressed onto Ash's side of the head, a kiss. Ash instantly blushed a red, nearly purple with the blue fur he had on. With a little more than a day before Canterlot, Ash needed to prepare for the elder princess but with Twilight's feelings leaking out, Ash had a bothering time about two fillies that supposedly love him. Who to choose? Twilight Sparkle or Fluttershy?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	4. Canterlot on the Mind

_Chapter 4: Canterlot on the Mind_

* * *

The morning rose over Ponyville but one had been up since the loved meet with Twilight Sparkle. Ash shuffled from Fluttershy's cottage with the Pegasus pony, rather ruffled in the mane. Fish in his mouth...since his hands were replaced by hooves, he leaped into the moat which flowed under the cottage. Otters were on a dock when Ash delivered the fish. The otters gathered the fish, one waiving him thanks. "Now the chickens," he planned. Hopping out of the moat, he strutted to the cage where some chickens were waiting on some grub. Ash came with birdseed and spread it to feed the chickens. "Be nice, everyone. There's plenty of seed for all." By that time, Pikachu and Angel hopped on over to see Ash, wishing him good morning.

("Morning, Ash!") it squeaked. When the two little animals saw drooping eyes on Ash, something didn't feel right. Angel hopped on and tried to fix the baggy eyelids.

"I appreciate it, Angel. I've got a lot on my mind that I couldn't sleep last night." Pikachu wondered why Ash would have a hard time getting some shut-eye. If only he knew about the meeting between him and Twilight Sparkle. "I don't know if Fluttershy would like it as much." That left Pikachu more dumbfounded.

("What does Fluttershy have to do with why you're up all night?") Maybe her name could shed some light to the Electric Mouse Pokémon.

"Twilight Sparkle..." If this was supposed to help understand Ash, it failed. Ash's sleepy eyes drifted to the clear sky, not one cloud was seen. "Fluttershy did tell me that Rainbow's the weather manager here. She must have done all that early this morning." Little did he know about Rainbow flying just behind Ash's head.

"Indeed I did!" she spoke, spooking Ash to jump. Turning around and eying the sky blue Pegasus pony, a tired trainer spotted Rainbow flying strong.

"You mind not doing that? I've got a lot on my mind now and hearing you shout like that hurts." Rainbow wasn't too upset with Ash's wish of easing up.

"Oh, like you mentioning that egghead? I thought Fluttershy was the one you love." Ash decided to clarify the real deal.

"It's the other way around. She loves me. It's just that Twilight has a crush on me, too." And he's the one feeling shameful? Rainbow landed and placed a hoof on Ash, a grin painting her face.

"Someone's becoming a stallion! First, Fluttershy and now the egghead? What are you doing right?" To Ash, it was nothing special on his part.

"I wonder that myself." Rainbow chuckled, somewhat sympathetic to Ash's dilemma.

"Don't get so uptight about it. If you do, you won't feel like facing the princess." Sound advice that Ash wasn't going to argue. Just then, May, Tracey and Applejack arrived to see the situation.

"Howdy morning, Ash," she greeted. Ash and Rainbow turned to see the three arrivals. Tracey noticed the heavy eyes on Ash, realizing that he never got any sleep.

"Ash, did something happen with you and Fluttershy?" he thought. Ash shook his pony head no.

"It's not Fluttershy but the egghead," Rainbow teased. "Seems that Ash has a knack to get the girls better than Brock and...on a ponial point of view, I think he should be more thrilled than he is now." Ash glared at Rainbow, not appreciating how opened she made the issue.

"Rainbow..." he growled. All Ash did was face-hoof and shake it, thinking that scorning the pony would do nothing to change her opinion. "Never mind..." May came over and put a hoof on Ash, advising him to relax.

"Ash, it's okay to have people love you," she tried to cheer him up. "It's more support for when you work through the Battle Frontier." A heavy sigh wasn't a good sign of settlement.

"I suppose... Anyway, what are you guys doing?" Applejack chose to answer.

"The three of us are heading to see Zecora in the Everfree Forest to pick up some medicine for Big Macintosh," she explained. "His legs have an infection and she might have the medicine to get Mac back on his hooves." Ash understood what their plans were, though he wasn't really in the mood to come along.

"Well, you three be careful in there." Applejack wasn't going to let Ash go like that and attend the animals.

"Hold your ponies, partner! You might need a little exercise and see more of Equestria before getting back to Pallet." It was a nice suggestion, one Tracey thought would help Ash.

"Besides, it's been awhile since I've journeyed with you," he urged. "I sorta miss the feeling." How long ago was it? Maybe some exercise would do him some good after all.

"Okay, I come along," he surrendered. As he got over to Tracey's side...

"I'll let Fluttershy know when she gets up," Rainbow told. "And stay away from the Poison Joke. Trust me and Applejack, it's not fun-ny." With that note, the group hoofed toward a forest in the outskirts of Ponyville. The overgrow of trees gave the ponies unsettled nerves. "Okay, the Everfree Forest isn't what I consider my cup of tea."

"Yeah, the more we travel, the more eyes I sense watching over me," May complained, shivering in some fear.

"Yeah, the Everfree Forest will scare the willies outta you the first time you traverse into it," Applejack shed some light to this dark area. "But after a couple runs, it won't be as spooky." Tracey wasn't too sold on the comfort level.

"Easy for you to say," he stuttered. Ash strutted up to Applejack with a question on mind.

"Now this Zecora," Ash began. Applejack sensed the topic and proceeded to answer.

"You'll find out soon enough," she hushed. In front of them, an acre of eerie blue flowers, more than enough to make a few bouquets. Applejack spotted the flowers and stopped. "Whoa, ponies!" Ash, May and Tracey stopped, curious about the sudden parking.

"What's up?" May questioned.

"There's the Poison Joke that Rainbow warned us about." The hue of the flowers made Tracey a little sketchy.

"I guess its true what Brock once said," he referred. "Every rose has it's thorns." Ash looked on, amused at how much panic came from the patches of Poison Joke.

"It's nothing more than a plant to make you itch a lot," he played off. Applejack wasn't as humored.

"Actually, when we came over to see Zecora the first time, we ignored the warning and these plants played adverse effects. Rainbow's wings had a mind of their own, I shrunk, Rarity's mane made her a sheep dog, Pinkie Pie's tongue swelled up, Twilight's horn was rubbery and Fluttershy..." The memory of whatever happened to Fluttershy was something she didn't want to recall. Seeing Applejack's reaction to what she was going to describe about Fluttershy told Ash that it was horrible.

"Whew," he shuttered. "That bad, huh?" Knowing how much he cared about Fluttershy, it would be best to heed Applejack's warning. Just then, May viewed a pony in a brown hood on the approach.

"We have company!" she warned. The rest peered at the new pony coming, Applejack recognizing who it was.

"Zecora!" she called out. Hearing the name, the pony flipped her hood off, revealing the pony to be a zebra. The mane looked like a mohawk.

"It's good to see you, Applejack!" she greeted. "Is there a reason for me to see you back?" Applejack wasted little time to talk about her coming out here.

"I came to see if you have any medicine for infections like the one that's ailing my brother." Zecora seemed to understand the size of the situation.

"Come with me and I can have the medicine you see." Zecora lead the group to a hut filled with wooden masks and tribal artifacts. A black cauldron boiled a green liquid. Eying the artifacts, the new ponies awed the items strewn throughout the hut.

"Wow, Zecora!" May awed. "Are these all yours?"

"They are from my native land. The land is rich beyond the miles of sand." Ash and Tracey were somewhat intrigued with Zecora's way of speaking.

"She rhymes like a poet," Tracey noticed. "Almost as good as Prof. Oak." Ash bobbed a nod, also realizing the similarities between Oak and Zecora.

"Thanks for pointing that out," he shrugged. "Though poetry isn't one I like to get involve." May wasn't too worried about Ash's opinion.

"What's so wrong with poetry, Ash?" she asked anyway.

"Last time I tried it, it was horrible." Not everyone can rhyme. Zecora managed to pour a broth of the green liquid in a tea kettle.

"This is the remedy, you see," she offered. "The fee is bits of three." Applejack hoofed three coins to the tribal zebra.

"Thanks a whole bunch, Zecora," she accepted. "Big Mac will be plowing the fields in no time." Zecora scoffed, knowing her medicine would work.

"Come back anytime to hear more of my rhyme." She's good with rhyming that it's somewhat scary. Meantime at a bakery, Rarity. Pinkie Pie, Misty, Brock, Max and Spike were busy with the sweets, the big project being a cake. Pinkie Pie snagged an oven mitt the shape of a pony's head and pulled out a tray of cookies.

"Cookies are ready~!" she sang. Misty and Max spread blue icing on the cake, coating each corner.

"Frosting is applied," Max checked. Misty used a front hoof to wipe sweat from her forehead.

"I never knew how hard it is to work as a pony," she blew. "At least when it's over, I'll be back on two feet. Boy, won't my sisters hear this story." Rarity was a little astonished hearing that Misty had sisters.

"You have sisters?" she gasped.

"Yeah. Maybe I shouldn't have brought it up. I'm the youngest of four sisters." Now it was Max's turn with astonishment.

"So, you're the youngest too?" he shuttered. Misty now realized that Max has had a share of hardship being the youngest sibling. Spike patted Max on the back, support.

"It's alright," he comforted. "Pinkie Pie is with you to help out." Pinkie Pie softly placed a hoof on Max's back, her care for him rather obvious.

"Thanks." Brock couldn't help but be fascinated at the relationship between Max and Pinkie Pie.

"You know, I feel like at times I wanna pull Max away like he does to me," he mulled. Rarity chuckled at the jealous and embarrassed life of the breeder.

"If it makes you feel any better, I could be your steed," she offered. Brock began to blush at the nervous emotion rambling on inside of him. Just then, the other three ponies entered, none being Applejack.

"How's the cake coming, every pony?" Twilight asked. Max was applying candy letters on to the cake spelling something, the angle made it hard to see the message.

"Just applying the finishing touches," Misty informed. Twilight, Rainbow and Fluttershy couldn't wait to see what the finished product would look like.

"We should keep it covered to make sure Ash doesn't sneak in," Fluttershy advised. Pinkie Pie snickered, a plot on her mind.

"Leave it to me!" she offered help. As she was working on the cake, hopefully not eating it, the rest filed out to rest up for tomorrow's trip to Canterlot. Applejack and Ash returned from the Everfree Forest. May and Tracey seemed to have gone somewhere for the rest of the day.

"Catch ya tomorrow at the train station!" Applejack promised as she journeyed back to her home. She had medicine to deliver.

"So, how was the forest?" Twilight wondered. Ash was all smiles.

"Lemme tell ya, Zecora would give Prof. Oak a run for his poetry," he summarized. Hearing his good tone told the ponies that Ash had a pretty decent time in there.

"I take it you and Zecora are now friends, huh?" Fluttershy smiled, still in the fog about the newly announced relationship with him and Twilight. Ash seemed eager to denounce the friendship on a good part.

"She's more friend to May than me." Suddenly, a yawn. Ash was beat. "Right now, some shuteye is in order." Rainbow couldn't agree more.

"Yeah, you need to be alert for the princess," she acknowledged as she flapped her wings. "Well...see ya at the train station." She flew off and the other ponies chose to go back to their homes for the evening. Fluttershy offered a little head's up to Ash.

"I should mention that Rarity's cat, Opal, and the Cutie Mark Crusades are sleeping over tonight," she let Ash in on the detail.

"You have a crowded cottage, huh?" he joked. Fluttershy giggled, yet hoped that the Cutie Mark Crusades would behave and let Ash sleep. No pony was aware that Spike was trailing behind them. The two entered the cottage, greeted by the trio and Pikachu who stayed at the cottage to aid Fluttershy.

"Welcome home, Ash, Fluttershy!" they cheered with enthusiasm. A little much for Ash's ears.

"Thanks, kids." Pikachu jumped on Ash's back, happy to see the trainer okay. "I'm good, Pikachu." Pikachu happily petted Ash's mane. "I guess I know how you feel when I do that." A fluffly-furred white cat with a purple bow on its head and a purple collar with diamonds snuggled it's fur along Ash's leg. This cat seems to be the last creature in the cottage. "You're Opal, huh?" The cat mewed, seemingly confirming Ash's suspicions.

"Well, her real name is Opalescence," Sweetie Belle acknowledged. "I bet she feels comfortable with you since you're a boy." A little gender issue?

"And I thought it was because of Pikachu." If that was a joke, Pikachu was insulted. So insulted in fact, he jumped from Ash's back to Fluttershy's.

("Don't refer me as cat food, pal!") he protested. Fluttershy would help explain what Ash meant.

"There are cats who do eat mice that I don't raise," she clarified. "But I doubt Opal will do just that." Pikachu sighed in a bit of relief that Opal won't attack him.

"Another reason may be the fact that Opal's a girl and you're a boy," Scootaloo pointed out. Ash could ponder about the gender issue but Spike entered the cottage, forcing those to turn to him.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting something," he apologized. "I was just going to say that we're all set for the trip to Canterlot tomorrow morning." That meant that the ponies needed to hit the beds early to meet Celestia.

"Is it all right if we tell Ash how we were responsible for Fluttershy's disappearance from Equestria?" Apple Bloom asked. Fluttershy knew the story but Ash and Pikachu were interested.

"This I gotta hear," he shuttered, wanting to get the full detail.

"Well, you know that me, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle are trying to get our cutie marks. Rarity suggested that we try to fish as a way to think thoroughly instead of attempting another crazy stunt that might get us covered in tree sap." Ash sat on his tail, listening to the tale of what led to him meeting Fluttershy in the Pokémon World. "Along the way to a lake nearby, we found a book lying on the ground and decided to bring it to Twilight Sparkle." Spike took control of the story from there.

"After taking the book, Twilight discovered that the ponies brought a spell book that had gone missing from Canterlot's library during it's cleaning period," he added. "Twilight saw some spells to try. We had gone to the track in the outskirts to do the magic. When Twilight tried one of the spells, it opened a vortex, apparently to your world." Pikachu wanted to make sure this was true.

("Really?!") it squeaked. There was more.

"We all wanted to see what was on the other side so we urged Twilight to do it again. When she did, Pinkie Pie interrupted the spell and hit Fluttershy. We were all wondering what happened to her. Fluttershy, you wanna take over?" Fluttershy nodded to the offer.

"I was knocked out for a bit when I realized I was surrounded by Pokémon, though I didn't know it by the time," she continued. "The Grass Pokémon were curious about me, even regarding me as a human. A Skiploom confronted me with its flower in water to see what I was. I was indeed human. Feeling sorry for what had happened to me, King Venusaur gave me a tour when Sunflora told us that a human had trespassed into their territory." The Cutie Mark Crusades and Spike twisted their heads to Ash, thinking he was the one who entered the area without permission. Ash was quick to correct the explanation.

"May was actually taken by a Skarmory into the area," he remembered. "As Brock, Max and I chased after May, villagers guarding the gate stopped us. We told them that May was taken by said Skarmory and told us to wait while they debated on an option. I didn't want to wait and we all raced up the gate. However, the vines were too much to handle Max and Brock so I had to rescue May. When I did, I tried to escort her outta there but the Grass Pokémon made it impossible...until Fluttershy and Venusaur bailed us out. At the time, I had no clue that Fluttershy was a pony." That was believable. It was pretty confusing to each other when the vortex altered one's appearance.

"Like Venusaur, I gave Ash and May a tour when those vile humans were taking the Grass Pokémon from their habitat. We stopped them and rescued the Pokémon and I..." Reminding herself of the meet with Ash made Fluttershy blush.

"So that's how you guys met and why you fell for him," Spike concluded. A giggle from Ash and Fluttershy confirmed Spike's guess. "Wow, I guess it's more understanding than Twilight's moment with Ash last night." A chorus of gasps had nerves of surprise and disbelief echoing from the ponies and Pikachu. Ash was in deep horse manure. Why did the baby dragon tell Fluttershy and the ponies about the moment last night?

"Spike!" he snapped. Spike wasn't ashamed that he told the ponies about this new relationship between Ash and Twilight Sparkle.

"What?! I thought you told Fluttershy about it!" Ash smacked a hoof to his head, upset at the news that shouldn't have left the dragon's snout.

"The way I see it, she admires me for what I did against Team Rocket to protect everyone, even Apple Bloom and the princess." Not the way Fluttershy saw it.

"Are you sure there's nothing between you and Twilight?" she questioned. Ash bobbed a nod to tell her that his attention should be with Fluttershy, not Twilight.

"You're the one who said that you loved me before Twilight's confession. If I did go after Twilight, why am I still in your cottage?" Fluttershy thought of a comeback but came up blank.

"I guess you have a point." Sweetie Belle poked both of them, telling the two that they shouldn't squabble like that.

"Come on, you two," she squealed. "Focus on that trip to see the princess, not about what's going on in Ponyville." Good point she made and the two ponies smiled and blushed at each other. Tomorrow's the trip to Canterlot. Spike left to Twilight's home. His tongue nearly brought a disaster to Ash and Fluttershy's relationship and he should have known better.

"Why did Ash have to snap at me like that?" he pondered. "I mean, I was just telling Fluttershy what happened. It's not like it's the end of Equestria as we know it." No, but sometimes it's better to say nothing if nothing good would come out. Ash couldn't wait to see Celestia soon. Tomorrow's the party and he's the guest of honor. What gift could Celestia have for him?

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED...


	5. Royal Offerings

_Chapter 5: Royally Offerings_

* * *

The morning rose in Ponyville. A train began to roll up to a station where the ponies filed for the trip to Canterlot. "Train for Canterlot is arriving!" a conductor announced. "Train for Canterlot!" That's the ride for the ponies on their way for Ash's celebration. Twilight, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Ash, Pikachu, Misty, May, Max, Brock and Tracey eagerly waited as the train slowed to a stop at a station they attended. The doors opened and every pony entered. "All aboard!" The doors closed. The ponies walked around because there were no seats for the ponies to sit in.

"Kinda different from all the train rides when I was younger," Brock felt. It's certainly noticeable since some rode trains as humans.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Ash understood. Twilight came up to Ash, curious about his emotions about the princess.

"So, Ash?" she called. "Nervous?" A slight laugh told Twilight that Ash had butterflies in his stomach.

"A bit." Misty and Tracey came forward to Ash and Twilight with a question.

"Tracey and I waited to ask but how did you and the princess meet?" Misty wondered. Referring to Ash, Twilight nudged him to explain the meeting.

"Go on, Ash," she urged. With a nod, Ash readied himself for the discussion.

"It wasn't long after Fluttershy and Apple Bloom joined us," Ash started. "We were having lunch by a lake with a giant Whiscash and I was polishing my badges. Before long, Twilight opened a portal and Celestia presented herself. That's when Team Rocket attacked and tried to kidnap the ponies and forced all of us to attack. Celestia gave the ponies the Elements of Harmony to get rid of Team Rocket and we celebrated before the ponies returned home." A brief piece but it was to the point.

"So, it was after our meeting with Princess Sara, right?" Misty wanted clarification.

"That's right." Rainbow flew down, hoofing Ash in the head softly.

"You are one lucky colt, you know that?" she bragged. "Two princesses in such a short time?"

"Well, make it three. I met Princess Luna the other night." Rainbow's grin grew. To hear of Ash's encounter with Luna nudged Rainbow to rub hide with the trainer.

"Sara, Celestia and Luna? What in Equestria are you doing right?" Ash shrugged his shoulders if he had no explanation to his success. Meantime, Fluttershy hoofed over to Twilight, the thought of her with Ash making her fur stand.

"Um, Twilight?" she quietly called. Twilight barely heard her pony friend's voice, turning to the Pegasus wonder.

"What's up, Fluttershy?" she asked. Fluttershy wanted an answer about their meeting the other night.

"Uh, you see... It's about Ash." Twilight could only wonder what her topic could be. "Spike told us last night that you gave Ash a kiss." The name had Twilight a little upset.

"Look, yeah I did kiss Ash but Spike shouldn't have any business talking about my relationship with him." Fluttershy began to fear that Ash could be going after Twilight instead of her.

"So you do like him?" Roles were flipped. Twilight was now acting like Fluttershy and vice-versa.

"Well- I mean, yeah..." Finally, she fluttered a sigh, no longer wanting to struggle. "Okay, I'm confessing. When I saw Ash for the first time, I couldn't help but be fascinated with the creatures we all saw and you became. But there was something about Ash that appealed to me. Didn't you have the same feeling when you met Ash?" Fluttershy tried to recall a moment in the recent past.

"Not really. At the time, I was trying to help get along with the Pokémon. Then again, I did have some feelings after he saved me from Venusaur falling." In a sense, Twilight's feelings were more immediate than Fluttershy's when it came to Ash.

"The thing is...I'm afraid of what I might turn into if I do fall for Ash." The new confession befuddled Fluttershy.

"Wait a minute... You just said that you've fallen for Ash. How are you afraid, now?" Twilight's huff of fresh air calmed the unicorn pony.

"I- There are so many things that could become a disaster if I do love Ash. You would hate me since you were the first to be with him, Princess Celestia might not think of me as a student of hers, Equestria will go into a havoc- I just don't wanna take a chance to admire or adore someone with what the princess has for me!" A great fear settled onto Twilight and love was a cause? Fluttershy smiled. It wasn't a wicked sneer but an understandable smile as Pikachu entered the conversation.

"Thank you, Twilight." The praise took Twilight by surprise. "At least there's someone that likes Ash as much as I do." To hear her forgive Twilight seemed a blessing to her.

"You're...not upset?" Fluttershy shook her head softly.

"I'm actually happy about it." Was she surrendering her feelings to let Twilight have Ash? Pikachu wasn't sure he was hearing the Pegasus pony right.

("You don't like Ash?") he squeaked. The ponies spotted Pikachu, concerned about the friendship between his master and Fluttershy. The yellow pony knew what to say to ease the mouse's concern.

"No, silly. I still love Ash. It's for if something happens to me, Twilight's there to take care of Ash. Princess Celestia can understand your emotions, Twilight." So that's the reason. Twilight and Pikachu were calm after the reassurance from Fluttershy.

"Thanks, Fluttershy," Twilight complimented. A soft giggle from Fluttershy sounded her reply. The train rolled through the mountains and crossing them revealed a town within it. The new ponies spotted the town, awed that one could be up at this altitude.

"What town is that?" Tracey asked. Applejack gazed at what the others saw, confident of their place.

"That, new ponies, is the royal city of Canterlot," she informed. They're arriving at last.

"We're just about there," May cheered, anxious to get hoofing out of the train. "I can't wait!" She wouldn't wait too long. Another station appeared with grown white unicorn horses in gold armor surrounding the place as the train steamed up to the scene.

"What's going on?" Misty stuttered at the sight of all these armored unicorn horses.

"They're the royal guards protecting Canterlot," Rarity verified. "Princess Celestia selected them to check Canterlot in case of any evil lurking."

"Seems like escort to guide us to her palace," May believed. The train slowed and stopped eventually at the station. The doors opened to allow the ponies off, meeting the royal guards who stood straight-faced and stern. That's when one of the royal guards, a white unicorn horse with a slick teal mane, spotted Twilight.

"Is that you, Twi?" he recognized as he and Twilight met with Ash and Pikachu watching on.

"Hey, Shining Armor!" Twilight called to him. "Sorry to come unannounced."

"Hey, it's not really unannounced, sis. The princess told us that you'd be coming." Misty and Max reached Ash to get a better understanding of Twilight's relationship with Shining Armor. Speaking of, Shining Armor spotted Ash and Pikachu. "And I take it you're the colt of the hour?" Funny...he's not Andrew Luck nor is anyone in Indianapolis.

"I guess 'young man' doesn't work here in Equestria," he giggled. Shining Armor joined in the giggle.

"I'm Shining Armor, head of Canterlot's royal guards and big brother to Twilight Sparkle." He and Ash clapped hooves. Rarity and Applejack confronted Twilight in the midst of the meeting.

"None of us knew you had a brother!" Rarity whispered. "And a handsome one at that."

"Yeah, you girls never really asked about my family." Ouch! Still, the ponies were given a chance to meet Shining Armor. He led the ponies to the bustling town of Canterlot. The ponies there viewed the newcomers entering their town. Eying all the fancy clothes had Rarity a tad jealous and May somewhat skeptical.

"Canterlot makes Ponyville seem run-down, don't you think?" she questioned. Rarity's ears picked up the criticism of the human who became a pony, offended.

"Ponyville is _not_ run-down!" she snapped. "It's a decent village that gets their share of business. And besides, Princess Celestia visits us most often." With that note, May hoofed a few steps back. She wasn't aware of Celestia's business with the ponies from Ponyville.

"Okay, Okay! Sorry!" Rarity accepted the apology as a castle with plenty of towers appeared in walking distance. Watching from one of the front towers was a combination of a Pegasus and Unicorn which the fur was white as the snow. A plethora of colors dyed her long, shimmering mane as she wore a crown above the horn and a sun on her flank.

"Princess!" Twilight called up. This was Princess Celestia? The pony gazed down at the group who knelt a leg and bowed. Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rainbow, Shining Armor, Ash and Max showed respect while the others watched a little confused.

"Twilight, it's wonderful to see you all made it here safely," she greeted. Misty and Tracey couldn't believe that the pony above was the princess in question.

"So, that's an Alicorn?" Tracey gulped. Misty turned to her friend, interested with the detail of the princess.

"A what?" she asked.

"An Alicorn, a combination of Pegasus and Unicorn." Who knew there was a name for something like that?

"Welcome to my castle," Celestia greeted. Royal guards opened the gates and escorted the ponies inside the castle where the festivities began. Everyone started having a great time, even those from around the castle showed interests to Misty and May. If only they knew that they were human. Maybe it wouldn't matter. The party, the food, the cheers for Ash... a fun time enjoyed. Maybe a little much for Ash. He hoofed to a balcony outside with Pikachu later to the night, wondering if this was worth it.

"Everyone's excited about how I did," he noticed.

("That's for sure,") his Pokémon companion agreed. Both pony and mouse created glum faces to the starry sky.

"I finished in the Top Eight, not the champion of the Evergrand Tournament. I mean, I do appreciate the princess and her honoring party but...you know?" Pikachu knew the emotions racing through Ash's mind.

("You don't think you deserve it?") Even if Ash couldn't understand Pikachu's language like Fluttershy, he did sense the feelings of his partner. Unbeknown, Celestia came out to find Ash. It was a party in his honor, after all.

"Kinda wondered where you walked off to," she neighed softly, having Ash and Pikachu turn to the Alicorn princess.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Ash apologized. Celestia seemed to forgive Ash.

"A little much to take at once." Ash sighed before he confessed.

"You know, I only finished in the Top Eight. I don't think a party like this is necessary if I didn't win." Celestia shook her head, not minding the tidbit.

"Regardless of your finish, you represented your hometown of Pallet and Equestria since you've protected the ponies and Pokémon. This honor is a reminder of those you protected and while I realize the results, I know you'll improve. Your quest hasn't ended, that I'm aware." The notion of what Ash did while human gave Ash a reconfigure of this party. It wasn't about his performance in the tournament. It was an overall journey to when he met up with Fluttershy and the others.

"Thank you, princess." That's when Celestia had an idea.

"Maybe there's something I can do for you." The princess had been rather giving throughout this story. Ash couldn't believe what else she was offering.

"What do you mean?"

"Easy. Just name it." Celestia became a genie? Ash could become his dream: Pokémon Master!

'I could be a Pokémon Master with a wish! That would be awesome!' That's when he backtracked his thoughts. 'No, that would be an easy way out. I want to be a Pokémon Master...but I wanna do it the right way. I don't wanna shortcut it. Maybe-' Ash shook off whatever just popped up. 'No, I need to do that as well if I wanna be a great trainer.' Celestia chuckled a little at the frustration on Ash's face.

"There's no timetable to give me your wish. When you decide, I can grant it." That's telling Ash to slow his mind down and relax. Ash bowed his head, unsure if he should listen. This was a princess so yeah, he should. Back inside, Twilight caught up, concerned when he vanished.

"Ash, where were you?" she wondered. Ash came clean to Twilight.

"Fresh air and the princess." With one more deep breath, he made his admittance. "Princess Celestia is giving me a wish...but I'm not sure what to do." Twilight saw nothing wrong with this dilemma.

"You can wish to be that Pokémon Master, can't you?" That was one thought which Ash denied.

"I could, but I'd rather do it right instead of just a wish." Twilight understood Ash's plan. "For some reason, I was thinking about you." This stunned the unicorn. Did she hear him right? Did he actually have feelings for Twilight Sparkle?

"I thought you liked Fluttershy!" Ash needed to correct himself.

"I mean, I do. I guess it was when you kissed me the other night." Now it was Twilight that realized she put him in this situation with that kiss. Only now did the conversation with Fluttershy come into focus.

"You know, Fluttershy said that it's okay if I loved you like she does. I promised her that if anything were to happen to her, I'd take care of you." A sincere thought. Ash had two ponies that admired him. Ash could choose one or the other... That's when a brainstorm hit.

"I got it! I know what to wish for!" Twilight pondered what could be going through his mind. Quickly, she believed that Ash could be wanting to combine her and Fluttershy, an idea she didn't feel too comfortable with.

"I'm not sure I want to be an Alicorn like the princesses." Ash would ease her of that worry.

"No, I got a better idea." He ran off to find Celestia. What could this idea be and could it keep the friendships of Ash, Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle intact?

* * *

TO BE CONCLUDED...


	6. Door to New Adventure

_Chapter 6/Final: Door to a New Adventure_

* * *

So what could Ash finally have decided for his wish to Princess Celestia? Did it have something to do with Fluttershy? Twilight? The other ponies? Twilight, Fluttershy, Pikachu and Misty stood by Celestia's chamber, anxious to hear Ash's wish to the Princess of Equestria. It better not be to have her as a wife. "Interesting!" she replied...to what? "So the wish isn't for Fluttershy or Twilight alone but for every pony and human that wants to walk in the hooves or shoes of one another?" Ash had a reason for this wish of uniting ponies and humans.

"Equestria's a great place and so is the Pokémon world," he exclaimed. "I just want everyone to enjoy being something other than themselves, if only for a moment. Plus, after seeing Twilight exhausting herself opening the portal...I want her to experience being in my world without the threat of getting stuck for her life." Celestia looked at her multicolored mural windows, one being a human touching hand to hoof with an Alicorn. Was it the two talking? Maybe an Alicorn that Ash could fall for in the future?

"I, too, wonder what it would feel like, less look like if I was human. So, a permanent gateway between Equestria and the Pokémon worlds..." Ash bobbed his pony head to the confirmation. The ponies and Pikachu waiting outside couldn't believe the wish or maintain their composure. A permanent doorway that connected both worlds would be established. That meant that anyone or any pony who wanted to see the other world could do so. "I had a feeling that you would want me to merge Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy to have an Alicorn of your own. After all, Twilight came to me and confessed to having feelings for you." Ash huffed to the information hoofed down to the royal Alicorn.

"It's kinda ironic that I'm getting more adored here in Equestria than back home. I mean, neither Misty or May had these feelings for me like Twilight or Fluttershy." Misty couldn't believe her ears. To Ash, Misty never showed love to him.

"The nerve!" she growled while trying to keep her voice from suspicious ears. "I have feelings for him! How dare he say differently!" Did she ever face him about those feelings? Twilight quizzed her about this detail.

"Did you tell him how you felt?" she questioned. Misty froze. She wasn't expecting a retort like that.

"N-No, why would I tell him?" Twilight and Pikachu shook their heads, telling her that she missed her chances to confess before Fluttershy did. Misty wasn't sure why the ponies would shake their heads. The chamber doors opened, Ash and Celestia stepping out. All were anxious to hear the final verdict.

"Princess, what did Ash wish for?" Celestia gazed at her pupil, a sincere smile imaged in front of the fillies.

"He wishes for a doorway that connects Equestria to the world of Pokémon," she responded. "A far more fascinating request than perhaps others that most ponies would think, even you." A gateway that connected the worlds brought the other ponies to a satisfied realization.

"Does this mean that I can go to their world without being trapped there?" Celestia and Ash neighed nods, confirming Twilight's beliefs.

"This way, we can come to each other for some talk or if we need help with a problem," Ash pointed out some ideas. "Heck, even the princesses could stop by and see more about themselves." An interesting theory.

"I have to say that this is one of your best ideas yet, Ash!" Misty complimented. "Not only can the Equestrian Ponies come by and we can be them at times but you've also mentioned communication." Ash really thought this one through.

"And it's a lot less strain on Twilight. I still remember Applejack telling you rest and apple cider." Twilight giggled at the reminder. A while later, all were in the backyard of Fluttershy's cottage, including the boys. All stood behind Celestia. We're not having a repeat of what occurred in the first story, right Pinkie Pie?

"I found a spell that can grant us unlimited passage to your world," she informed. "It was thanks to the little ponies that our meetings were made possible." Without their discovery of the book as mentioned with Spike over, would these two world collide at all? Celestia activated her horn, glowing with a white veil of glitter. A white beam shot from her horn and enveloped a dome by a fence. Seconds later...a shed? Seriously, Celestia? A shed is your way to the Pokémon World? Still, everyone put their faith in Celestia. She's a princess that everyone admired.

"I'll go first," Ash offered. He and Pikachu entered the shed. Pray that this works. In Ash's room, a new door where a window use to be opened up and a hand, not hoof, popped out. Finally, Ash stepped in his room, back to being human. Ash looked down, viewing his renewed body. "Alright! I'm human again!" His clothes were on, his skin wasn't fur and he had hair and not a mane. He undressed his gloves...and found something unusual. There was a tattoo in the palm of his hand. A red/white ball wearing a cape. No, seriously, its Super Ball! Even Pikachu, who retained his form throughout this trip into the world of ponies. Where did Ash get it? He's too young for a tattoo parlor. "Is this...my cutie mark? I'm a human, how can I get a cutie mark?" It did seem unusual for a human to have a cutie mark. But when did he get it? There was nothing on his flank for the entire time he was a pony. Soon the rest came back over and even Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow. Celestia stayed behind. Twilight wore a purple school uniform with matching stockings and loafers. Rainbow donned a different uniform: a sky blue basketball jersey with her cutie mark as the logo. Twilight's eyes caught Ash gazing at his newly acquired cutie mark.

"No way!" she shrieked. "How did you get a cutie mark?" He's asking himself as well.

"I don't know!" Hearing that Ash has a cutie mark, Celestia grew an interest from the other side while Spike looked on.

"May I see your cutie mark?" she requested. The crowd cleared to let Ash show his palm to Celestia. She examined it. "Fascinating! While you may be young, you're destined as a protector, a guardian to the Pokémon. Your past in keeping a watching eye on those, including my ponies, will guide you to success." Ash gazed back at his hand. Such responsibility to take.

"Whoa..." Seeing Ash's cutie mark made Misty wonder if she got one herself. Nothing on her arms... Nothing on her legs... That's when she began to unbutton her top...just as Ash turned to her. Seeing one button come off made Ash a little jumpy. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Stop, Misty! Not with me!" Ash quickly spun, not wanting to see Misty strip down. Ignoring the paranoid protector, Misty gazed down her chest... another cutie mark? Just above her right breast was a large water droplet. She gawked at the size and shape of this new accessory.

"It looks like the Cascade Badge at my Gym!" she notified. Ash looked, sure that Misty stopped stripping and also saw the droplet, as well as Rarity. "Luckily, I keep one to show during my stops." She pulled out another droplet, frozen in place.

"My word!" she gasped. "Now two humans have cutie marks!" If that cutie mark was in regard to this gym, she knew her destiny.

"Well, I don't think I need the princess to explain this one." And spoil her fun, too. May and Max wondered if they received cutie marks also. May didn't look long as she found a maestro's conducting baton stretching from her wrist to her index finger.

"A baton stick?" she gulped in confusion. Fluttershy looked at her hand with the baton, quickly coming up with an answer.

"This must be like your duty as a coordinator," she theorized. May thought for a second, happy that her cutie mark matched her passion as a coordinator.

"Awesome!" Max searched his body but couldn't find anything to resemble a cutie mark. Pinkie Pie checked the back, including the neck.

"Nothing back here," she noted. To forgive him, Pinkie Pie kissed the back of his neck, sending shivers down his spine of the ticklish. That had to feel good to him. Tracey wasn't having any luck finding a cutie mark of his own. He chose to take his shirt off, maybe someone might see something. Applejack saw the slightly muscled figure of Tracey, whistling in admiring his body.

"Now those are farming muscles!" she named. Tracey's cheeks bled red in embarrassment. It's a compliment, dude. However, Applejack saw something else: a pair of binoculars between the shoulder blades. "And here's your cutie mark: binoculars!" Tracey's the fourth to get a cutie mark.

"Binoculars?" he repeated. "I guess it fits since I am a Pokémon Watcher." Applejack rubbed Tracey's new mark before actually wrapping her arms in a hug. Adding her country body caused Tracey to sweat. "This may be a first."

"What, being adored by a girl?" Applejack's giggle and Tracey's nervous laughter sounded rather cute. Misty and May tried to hold their laugh. Brock frantically searched his body but wasn't finding anything. Rainbow grappled him to the floor and raised his top...but nothing there.

"He's got nothing!" she groaned. Celestia heard Rainbow's slight frustration, determining why Ash, Tracey, Misty and May received cutie marks but not Brock or Max.

"It seems Brock and Max still need to find their calling," she studied. "As for the others, these cutie marks are your reminders of what your world and ours mean to you. Ash, the protector; Misty, the mermaid; Tracey, the watcher and May, the coordinator. I hope that you can fulfill your roles in your world and aid others that need it." Strong words from the princess.

"We will, Princess," Misty spoke for the rest. The door closed but remained visible. While the gateway was closed, it was there in case. Fluttershy had an idea.

"Why don't we head back to Prof. Oak's ranch to show the others your Pokémon?" she suggested. Ash wouldn't mind showing Twilight, Applejack or Rainbow his creatures.

"Good idea!" he agreed. The dozen found their way out of Ash's house and were walking to Oak's home...again.

"You know, the crusaders are gonna be jealous of us," Rainbow sneered. Pinkie Pie chuckled at Rainbow's gimmick.

"Because we're seeing all the Pokémon before they do?" she guessed.

"Well, yeah! How many ponies get an opportunity like us to see something awesome? The dragon migration that flew over us, the Sonic Rainboom performed by yours truly and seeing Ash's Pokémon...Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo can only imagine having to see everything!" Fluttershy winced when Rainbow mentioned "dragon." Her fear alerted Ash to comfort her, his hand grasping firmly to her's. Someone would need to comfort them as the ground gave way to the weight of the group. All yelled as they plummeted down a pit and landed with a series of crunching thuds. The last thing that fell was Applejack's hat which fell on top of her who was on top of Tracey...and the two were...you could say intimidating the romance of Ash and Fluttershy. Applejack's lips touched Tracey's. No one else noticed as they tried to understand how the ground collapsed. Then, laughter.

"Don't tell me..." Ash groaned, thinking it wasn't good as Pikachu appeared knocked out. That's when two adults appeared.

"Prepare for trouble, we've got quite a score!" chanted a female with wavy blood-red hair. She wore a white mid-drift shirt with a red 'R' on it, white skirt and black thigh-high boots.

"Make it double, the pit worked to a galore!" voiced a male with dampened blue hair. He donned a white uniform with that same red 'R' on it. The last to emerge was a white cat with an oval coin wedged in its forehead.

"Forget da motto and grab Pikachu!" it mewed proudly. The redhead used a claw which reached out and snagged Pikachu before anyone had a chance to react.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried our for his Pokémon. The bad guys got Pikachu and ran off before one of those in the hole could crawl out. They escaped in a hot-air balloon in the shape of the cat's head. The rest slowly followed but it was too late.

"Team Rocket's blasting off in success!" they cheered as they flew away. All Ash could do was watch.

"Come on, Ash!" May urged. "We gotta save Pikachu!" That's when a snicker from Ash echoed. Did he expect Team Rocket taking Pikachu? Something was definitely off. "Ash?" All Ash did was turn to Applejack.

"You're safe, buddy," he told...who? Pikachu popped out from under Applejack's hat. Whoa, talk about quick thinking! Other than Ash and Pikachu, no one was in on the switcher.

"Hold your horses," Applejack huffed while grabbing Pikachu from her head. "If this is Pikachu then what the hay did Team Rock nab?" The growing grin had a sinister ploy.

"Let's just say that it's a gift from the Everfree Forest." May, Tracey and the ponies freaked out. Understandable for something that was used from that forest. Meanwhile, the three in the balloon had "Pikachu" in a glass case hooked to some portable generators to absorb electricity.

"What did I tell you, Jessie?" the blue-haired gloated. "A simple plan is the most effective. All those twerps didn't know what hit them."

"Indeed, James," Jessie the redhead agreed. "And with so many of those twerps neatly packaged in that hole, they'll have a hard time fishing all out of that hole." They planned this through...okay, not quite. The cat checked the readings on the generator, showing zero. This cat's fur began to stand for some wrong reason.

"Guys, I think dere's something wrong with Pikachu," it mewed in a shiver. The adults glared at the cat, no clue that their kidnapped Pikachu was a fake.

"You sure there's not a fault in the wiring?" James asked.

"If there were any fault wiring, I would've fixed it. I think Pikachu needs a doctor." The adults panicked a little. If Pikachu wasn't alive, it would be useless to their benefit. They hoisted "Pikachu" back up, making sure "it" was okay. Immediately, the cat saw stitching. "AH! We've been swapped!" Jessie pulled the head up, not seeing the face but a recorder.

"That twerp played us for morons!" Jessie screamed in anger. The recorder began to play and Ash was heard laughing.

"Sorry about that," Ash snickered. "But I can't let you have Pikachu that easily. I did leave you a gift for your troubles. Just press the right cheek." What could Ash have in store for Team Rocket? She pressed the red cheek. Maybe it was money that they spent on wacky contraptions which Ash and friends destroyed. Maybe it was another Pikachu to compensate for his own. Or how about...BOOM! A cascade of Poison Joke spreading from the basket. The blue petals of Poison Joke blew toward the waters after the doll exploded. Inside, something hilarious showed up when the smoke cleared. The trio inside the basket seemed to have switched heads. Jessie's head was on James' body, James' head was on the cat's small body and the cat's head was on Jessie's body. All three screeched when they saw each other. Just the sight of the three's new forms was, just as the name implied, hilarious.

"Team Rocket's in an embarrassing dilemma!" they cried in unison. Now that we've seen Team Rocket with misplaced heads, here's a few questions: is that what normally happens to people exposed to Poison Joke? How did Ash escape its cursed effects even though he was directly exposed to it? Was he anticipating Team Rocket to after any Pikachu, even if they're fake? Well, we'll let them sort out the mess as the ponies and heroes arrived back at the ranch where Applejack herded brown bulls back to the open, away from other Pokémon. It had to be tough wrangling two and a half-dozen beasts. Rainbow tended to flying Pokémon, wanting to see what it took for these creatures with wings. One dark-colored sparrow chick made a beeline at Rainbow but her athletic skills caught it before it could dig its beak in her. Brock watched, astounded with her quick reaction.

"Hey, I'll get to you in a second, Spearow!" she scowled. "Be patient!" Brock wanted to warn Rainbow about laws against harming Pokémon. Twilight and Pinkie Pie saw ponies and unicorns with fire for manes.

"So these are Ponyta and Rapidash," Twilight realized. The small ponies were the Ponyta and the taller unicorns were Rapidash. Twilight petted one Rapidash, the horse's reaction of calm and ease.

"That Rapidash likes you," Pinkie Pie believed. "Maybe it knows that you're also a unicorn." Twilight laughed at the ridiculous guess.

"Yeah, maybe." Applejack spotted the stables, checking Twilight and Pinkie Pie on their mood.

"The Tauros are back in the open range," she announced. "That herd is a handful to keep in check. I don't know how the professor does it at his age." Handling a few of those Tauros would be tough. 30 of them? Nightmare.

"Maybe you could come by at times to help corral Ash's herd if they misbehave," Pinkie Pie suggested. Not a bad idea for Applejack.

"Not exactly why I would want to come here more often but it's a nice offer." Applejack's cheeks burned red suddenly. Twilight's suspicions drove her mind to think that another pony has found her dream colt.

"Okay, who is it?" she wondered with an evil smirk. It better not be Ash. Please, Ash has plenty with Fluttershy and Twilight.

"You really want me to tell y'all?" Twilight's anxious. "Well, I hope the watchman doesn't have a filly on his mind." The truth: Applejack admired Tracey. That kiss in the hole convinced her, huh?

"Well, that's five of us who have a crush on humans. Rainbow's the only one left." That's got to suck for Rainbow being the last pony to fall for a human male. Twilight and Fluttershy liked Ash, Pinkie Pie liked Max, Rarity liked Brock and now Applejack on Tracey. Poor Rainbow.

"And I prefer it that way!" she gloated as she reached the others. "Unless someone can better me at speed, I'm not falling for anyone...period!" Twilight's sigh didn't sit comfortably with Rainbow. "Don't even go there, egghead. I know what you're gonna say. And no, Ash will never be anymore in my life than a friend." Applejack's eyes spotted Ash and Fluttershy feeding the fish Pokémon. To her, Applejack thought he had plenty with the ponies who showed romance with her.

"No need to get your shorts in a bunch," she acknowledged. "Ash has given her the wings to fly here as well as Ponyville." The four watched on as Fluttershy nestled her head on Ash's shoulder. Twilight never became jealous. Fluttershy's words stoked her that she can be support. She liked Ash but unless something happens to Fluttershy, she felt that she can't get any closer than now. Despite this, she remained happy. That night, Tracy, Max, Rainbow, Applejack and Pinkie Pie rested inside Oak's lab while Ash, Brock, May, Misty, Fluttershy and Rarity snuggled in Ash's house. Ash and Fluttershy slept comfortably in a bed together when the doorway opened. But who could be coming through? She came in with a glistening black gown and heels. Her hair was as long as the dress and wore a black tiara. Luna? She came bedside to Ash and Fluttershy, resting a hand on each, smiling in accepting the two together. She left the room and proceeded to the living room where Twilight wrote a letter, presumably to Celestia. How often do you see her writing in place of Spike? Hearing the stiletto heels, Twilight's head swiveled to see the older, though very young-looking woman.

"Princess Luna?" she guessed. The woman nodded to her identity. If that's what Luna looks like, we can only imagine Celestia.

"Good evening, Twilight Sparkle," she greeted. Twilight's gawk had to be Luna's appearance.

"Heh! I can only wonder what you'd look like as Nightmare Moon." Luna giggled a little as she gazed at a wall of pictures. Almost all of them had Ash, most with Delia, Misty, Brock and Ash's Pokémon. However, something never popped up as she scanned the photos.

"There's no image of his father." Ash has to have a dad, right? Why was there no pictures with him?

"Yeah, no one in the house knows what happened to him after nearly a decade." Did Ash's father not care for him?

"Sad." Luna bowed her head to pray.

"So, what brings you here?" Luna sat on a recliner to rest her legs. Her mind weighing a little more with Ash's family issue.

"I saw one of Celestia's murals depicting an Alicorn and a human." That window? Twilight's eyes lit. Still, there's more that she needed to know.

"Is there anything about it? Like it's with you or Princess Celestia?"

"Can't say for sure. It may not be about either of us." Twilight listened intently. There's something she's not telling her, she just knows it.

"If it isn't you or your older sister..." Luna had a thought of who.

"Tell me...the boy, Ash. Do you love him?" Twilight hesitated a little. She did have feelings for him but still...

"A little, I-I guess. But Fluttershy said that if anything happened to her..." Luna understood the situation but had a feeling it's not the problem.

"I hope I'm wrong but..." Luna hesitated on an answer. Twilight needed to know from the younger princess.

"What's wrong?" Luna thought if it was a good idea to tell Twilight about the Alicorn in the mural and the possibility that the human was Ash. Did the Alicorn contain Twilight? If so, did Fluttershy have something else to do? Luna chose ultimately to drop the subject for now.

"Now is not the right time. I'm sorry for addressing it in the first place."

"It's alright, Princess Luna. I wasn't ready to hear about your news." Luna smiled. Twilight's response would have troubled. This was a good time to leave everyone and head back to Canterlot.

"Sorry to disturb you this late."

"Nah, it was nice to see you...even as a human." Twilight rolled up the letter she wrote. "Can you get this to Princess Celestia?" Luna received the letter without a second to think.

"Of course." Handed, Luna headed back up to Ash's room and through the doorway back to Equestria. The next morning, Ash, Brock, Max, May, Misty and Pikachu were packed up and ready to head towards a new adventure. The ponies watched as the group prepare to step out.

"The Battle Frontier and the Kanto Contests?" Max recalled.

"Yep," Brock confirmed. Misty came forward.

"But first, I'm heading back home," she announced. "I got a call from my sisters in Cerulean City wanting me to come home. There's a lot of trainers challenging our gym." Applejack came up to Misty, an offer of support.

"Hey, let those trainers and your sisters know that there's a renewed sheriff in that city," she pumped her confidence. A grin from Misty told Applejack that she's ready.

"I will." Rarity stepped to Brock next with an all new backpack and jacket.

"This is for you," she gave. "You've got more room in your jacket and in that bag. I'm sure with all the Pokémon you'll capture..." Brock dressed the new jacket and bag for the journey. Rarity had one more thing: a kiss on the cheek. Brock got a little lovin'. Oak had a few devices ready for handing out.

"Ash, May, I've updated your Pokédexes," he informed as he handed two red flip-cover devices to the two he called to.

"Thanks, Prof. Oak," Ash accepted. Now the yellow hand-held.

"And Max, I've updated the Pokénav to help you on your way." Max had the look of a kid in a candy store: giddy.

"Awesome!" he cheered. "Thanks, Prof. Oak!" Pinkie Pie knelt to give Max a big hug.

"Promise me that you'll help Ash and May," she ordered. A soft chuckle from Max.

"Okay, I will!" Pinkie Pie gave Max a kiss on the forehead. Hm, perhaps the same way his mother kisses him? Twilight and Fluttershy confronted Ash with their last wishes.

"Ash?" Fluttershy called. "I know you'll do great on this journey. I wish I could go with you but you know with my cottage..." Ash bobbed, understanding Fluttershy's dilemma.

"Right, I gotcha," Ash acknowledged. Twilight's hands clasped both shoulders of Ash and Fluttershy.

"Ash, I'll make sure Fluttershy is okay," she promised. "I know how much you two care for each other." Huffing giggles from both sides were signs of keeping the promise.

"Win or lose, Ash," Fluttershy continued. "Keep me in your heart." She capped it off with a kiss on the lips. Delia and Oak watched, her son being admired by a girl, regardless that she's a pony. Twilight offered a little of the same with another kiss to the cheek.

"Thanks, both of you," he praised. Ash turned to the humans, a celebration trip behind them and a new adventure ahead. "Well, every pony?" Rainbow and Pinkie Pie laughed at Ash stealing Twilight's phrase, Ash flashed a smug to those two before addressing his human friends. "Let's go!" Pikachu cheered while the group left Pallet Town. The ponies watched Ash lead the gang to new lands...even though it's Ash's, Brock's and Misty's home region. They held Princess Celestia's blessings and new friends from Equestria. To Twilight, Fluttershy. Rarity, Pinkie Pie. Applejack and Rainbow, meeting new friends and falling for a few humans became an experience for the rest of their lives.

* * *

THE END


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